ScotRail has revealed that its passengers made more than 7.7 million journeys during August.

This figure is 89 per cent of pre-pandemic levels and represents year-on-year growth of 35 per cent.

4.5 million journeys were made during off-peak hours, exceeding pre-pandemic levels and hitting its highest number since 2015.

Peak time and commuter travel also grew in August: the 3.1 million journeys made represented a 31 per cent year-on-year rise.

Many of the journeys were made in connection with high-profile events in Scotland during last month, including the Edinburgh Festivals, the UCI Cycling World Championships, and international rugby at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium.

The operator has also been largely unaffected by industrial action, as it is not among the companies with which the trade unions are in dispute.

ScotRail operates 95% of passenger rail services in Scotland, running two thousand services a day. It also runs almost all of Scotland’s 340+ passenger stations.

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: “It’s great to see such a substantial number of people choosing rail as they journey back to their everyday activities.

“These encouraging numbers are a testament to the hard work of our people in delivering a safe, reliable, and green railway.

“Our focus is on building on this success to encourage more people to choose Scotland’s Railway as their low carbon mode of travel.”